New software can save your company massive amounts of time and money. Implementing it, however, is another story.
Adopting any new piece of software is intimidating. There are new tools to learn, workflows to reconfigure, and employees to train before a company can fully reap the benefits of its investment. However, that’s no reason to shy away from upgrading your business software. It’s simply a matter of refining your approach. Here’s what to know as your company prepares to upgrade its tech stack, presented by Mobiritz.com.
Top Software Solutions for Growing Companies
As a company grows, so do its computing needs. Where should companies entering the mid-sized market invest to make the most of their tech dollars?
Customer Resource Management (CRM)
CRM is an ideal software that companies should invest in as they grow from small to mid-sized brands. CRM is increasingly available for smaller companies allowing for greater competition with major brands.
One of the biggest benefits of CRM is the ability to automate. Automating emails, data entry, and lead management slashes labor hours while delivering a consistent customer experience. Many of the leading CRMs for small and medium enterprises charge per user, making them highly scalable solutions.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Finances are foundational to any business. But while small brands can get away with a lax approach to business activities, growing companies need software that empowers fully-informed financial decisions.
That requires going beyond basic bookkeeping tools and into enterprise-level solutions for end-to-end management of key business functions. Mid-sized companies looking for an alternative to traditional ERP software have a new option in Quickbooks Enterprise. Not only does Quickbooks Enterprise come in at a lower cost, but it’s also less complex than traditional ERPs for easier roll-outs.
HR and Employee Management
It doesn’t take long for a small human resources team to get bottlenecked by manual processes. As a company’s staff grows, it needs to invest in software that simplifies employee management responsibilities like recordkeeping, scheduling, and benefits administration.
The leading employee management systems for mid-sized businesses include portals for new hires and self-service dashboards where employees can submit leave requests, respond to surveys, and access training materials.
Membership Management
Membership subscriptions are an increasingly popular business strategy thanks to their recurring revenue stream and built-in loyalty.
Many businesses have avoided membership-based models in the past due to the labor involved in controlling access, managing membership levels, and offering dynamic membership pricing all while delivering a stand-out customer experience. However, the rise of all-in-one plugins like MemberPress simplifies membership program management so you can focus on delivering great content, marketing your business, and engaging with your community.
7 Secrets to Successful Software Rollouts
How you implement new software is just as important as what you implement.
1. Establish clear business objectives
Before investing in any software, key stakeholders need to understand exactly what they hope to accomplish and why. Open communication with employees and department heads regarding why, when, and how you’ll roll out software creates organizational buy-in.
2. Understand user needs
Different employees utilize software in different ways. Identify the workflows that will be affected by new software and solicit feedback from employees to understand their pain points and bottlenecks.
3. Invest in employee training
Training is arguably the most important piece of any software rollout. Without proper training, employees lack the know-how to utilize software to its full capabilities. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding, schedule training sessions tailored to specific user needs.
4. Migrate business data
Migrating old data to a new system is a time-consuming task that requires careful pre-planning and attention to data quality.
5. Time roll-outs carefully
The middle of your busiest quarter isn’t the time to roll out new software. Effective rollouts require training and troubleshooting that takes time away from other projects, so schedule software implementation during slow periods.
6. Deploy software in a control group
Initial rollouts should be contained to a small group of users to provide opportunities to identify problems and optimize efficiency before implementing software company-wide.
7. Solicit ongoing feedback
The job isn’t over once the software is successfully implemented. Ongoing training and feedback from key stakeholders allow for continuous improvement in the way your team utilizes software.
Software is an essential component of your brand’s success strategy. However, implementing new systems requires more than choosing the right tool for the job. After identifying your company’s most pressing tech needs, let this advice guide you through a successful software rollout and onto bigger and better things.